FIDE World Youth Championships 2025: Registration deadline extended to August 15
Dear Delegates and Participants, We hereby inform you that, following increased demand from several countries, the registration deadline for the FIDE World Youth U14, U16, U18 Chess Championship 2025, October 3-16, 2025 held in Durrës, Albania has been officially extended to August 15, 2025. To date, we have received over 600 registrations, and the number is expected to grow significantly in the coming days. We kindly urge all delegations to proceed with registration and hotel arrangements without delay. Due to high demand, additional rooms may be requested but cannot be guaranteed after the deadline. Single room availability is limited. Delegations are strongly encouraged to opt for shared accommodations (double/triple rooms) to ensure efficient allocation and access for all participants. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to welcoming you to Albania this October. Best regards, Organizing Committee FWYCC 2025 The 2025 FIDE World Youth Chess Championships (U14, U16, and U18) will be held in Durrës, Albania, from October 3 (arrival) to October 16 (departure). Each national federation may register one official player in each category (Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18, Open and Girls). This totals six official players plus one accompanying person (with a valid FIDE ID) per federation, all of whom are invited by the organizers. Registration deadline: August 15, 2025. Invitation letter and regulations (PDF) FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2025 official website: worldyouth2025.fide.com E-mail: worldyouth@fide.com
World Women’s Team Championship 2025 heads to Linares, Spain
Photo: Michal Walusza The FIDE World Women’s Team Championship 2025 is set to take place in the legendary chess city of Linares, Spain, from November 17 to 24. Known as one of the most iconic venues in chess history, Linares will once again be in the global spotlight as it welcomes 12 of the world’s strongest women’s national teams to compete for the prestigious world title. “I am very excited that the Championship goes to Linares. The city is famous for its rich chess tradition – however it is not only about the past, but also the present and the future. I’d like to thank the local chess community and the Spanish Chess Federation for the cooperation, and we look forward to an exciting event,” said Emil Sutovsky, FIDE CEO Photo: European Best Destinations First held in 2007, the FIDE World Women’s Team Championship has become one of the most important events on the women’s chess calendar. Previous winners include China, Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia (reigning champion), with China claiming a record four titles. The event not only crowns the best national women’s team in the world, but also showcases rising stars and team spirit. The 12 teams competing in Linares are: * Semi-finalists of the 2023 edition: Georgia France Kazakhstan USA * Top-rated teams from each continent: China (Asia) Ukraine (Europe) Peru (Americas) Egypt (Africa) * Top federations by average rating (August 2025): India FIDE Team * Host nation: Spain * FIDE President’s nomination: To be announced The championship features 12 teams, split into two pools of six for a round-robin stage. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the knockout stage, consisting of semi-finals and a final. Each match between two teams consists of four boards, and matches are played under the standard time control: 45 minutes + 30 seconds per move from move one. Full regulations for World Women’s Team Championship 2025 (PDF)
2025 2nd FIDE Council Meeting – List of decisions
2nd FIDE Council meeting 18 July 2025 Online List of decisions CM2-2025/01 To note President’s report. CM2-2025/02 To approve Treasurer’s report. CM2-2025/03 To allow a team of athletes of Russian nationality to participate in the 2025 Women’s World Team Championship under the FIDE flag subject to receiving a non-objection letter from IOC, and to continue consultations with IOC regarding possible participation of Russian and Belarus nationals in the future team competitions. CM2-2025/04 To note FIDE Calendar 2024/2025. CM2-2025/05 To note the Global Strategy Commission’s report. CM2-2025/06 To note the Arbiters’ Commission’s report. CM2-2025/07 To approve the recommendations of the Arbiters’ Commission on Seminars, Classification upgrades, Amendments to the lecturer list, FA norms and titles. CM2-2025/08 To note the Qualification Commission report. CM2-2025/09 To approve the recommendations of the Qualification Commission on titles. CM2-2025/10 To approve in principle Swiss Chess Federation’ request to convert their National ratings to FIDE ratings for their players. To authorize the Qualification Commission to set the exact terms for this procedure. CM2-2025/11 To approve the recommendations of the Trainers’ Commission on titles and Academies. CM2-2025/12 To approve the recommendations of the Events Commission on titles. CM2-2025/13 To approve the recommendations of the Chess in Education Commission on titles. CM2-2025/14 To note the Fair Play Commission’s report. CM2-2025/15 To approve the recommendations of the Fair Play Commission on titles. CM2-2025/16 To authorize the President to consult with respective Commissions and formulate the Council’s decision in respect of the Rules Commission’s proposal regarding the Fair Play. The decision shall be along the lines of the President’s proposal at the Council’s meeting. CM2-2025/17 To note the Commission’s for Women’s Chess report. CM2-2025/18 To note the Rules Commission’s report CM2-2025/19 To note Continental Presidents’ reports. CM2-2025/20 To send a letter to the Panama Chess Federation regarding the tournaments organized in Panama. CM2-2025/21 To note the report of the Reverse Delegate for the USVI Chess Federation. To request the Constitutional Commission’s advisory opinion for this matter. CM2-2025/22 To note the report of the Reverse Delegate for the Burkina Faso Chess Federation. CM2-2025/23 To approve the proposed procedure regarding the previous and new Federations of Burkina Faso, to request the Constitutional Commission’s opinion as part of the relevant process, and to include the corresponding agenda item for the 2025 General Assembly consideration. CM2-2025/24 To note the report of the Reverse Delegate for the Syria Chess Federation. To request the Constitutional Commission’s advisory opinion for this matter. CM2-2025/25 To note the update on the FIDE Social Year 2025. CM2-2025/26 To organise the FIDE General Assembly 2025 online. 2nd FIDE Council Meeting 18 July 2025 – List of decisions (PDF)
FIDE August 2025 rating list published
The August 2025 FIDE rating list was primarily influenced by the Women’s World Cup in Batumi, the Biel International Chess Festival and several other tournaments across Europe. The top 10 in the Open section remained unchanged from July, with the only exception being Wei Yi, who gained 5 rating points in his match against Levon Aronian. In contrast, the women’s top 10 saw several notable shifts following the Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi. Lei Tingjie (+8) consolidated her third position in the list and closed in on her title match opponent the reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun; Tan Zhongyi (+12) climbed to fourth place, while Zhu Jiner moved up one spot. The tournament winner, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh (+15) reached her career-high 15th position and earned the Grandmaster title. Photo: Anna Shtourman Biggest gains in the top 100 (Open and Women) Schippke, Manon WIM FRA 2374 (+176) Prishita Gupta WFM IND 2353 (+135) Balabayeva, Xeniya WGM KAZ 2371 (+39) Kiolbasa, Oliwia IM POL 2393 (+32) Garifullina, Leya IM FID 2477 (+27) Kamalidenova, Meruert IM KAZ 2349 (+25) Theodorou, Nikolas GM GRE 2646 (+21) Divya Deshmukh IM IND 2478 (+15) Tabatabaei, M. Amin GM IRI 2673 (+14) Martinez Alcantara, Jose Eduardo GM MEX 2636 (+14) Salem, A.R. Saleh GM UAE 2640 (+13) Photo: Vivian Passig WIM Manon Schippke (pictured above) was the biggest rating gainer in July, earning a whopping 176 points in three competitions across France. The 18-year-old player from France broke into the top 100 Women and jumped straight to 9th position in the top female juniors list. WFM Prishita Gupta (pictured below) also debuts in the top 100 Women following her standout performances in Championnat de Paris 2025 Masters (+75 points) and Open International d’Aix-en-Provence (+60 points). Remarkably, the Indian teenager has earned over 400 (!) rating points over just the past two months. Photo: Shahid Ahmed Another overperformer in the Open International d’Aix-en-Provence is Leya Garifullina who collected 27 rating points in this competition, breaking into the top 20 Women for the first time in her career. WGM Xeniya Balabayeva made a triumphant return to the top 100 Women after a brief absence thanks to her excellent performance at the Oskemen Open 2025, where she gained 39 rating points, while Oliwia Kiolbasa added 32 points to her tally at the 11th Cesme International Open to reach 47th place in the women’s list – her best ranking since May 2023. Meruert Kamalidenova had stong showings in both the Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial – Aktobe Open and the Women’s World Cup, boosting her rating by 25 points. Photo: Biel International Chess Festival Nikolas Theodorou (pictured above) made a major breakthrough in July following his successful runs in the Greece National Team Championship and Biel Chess Festival – Challengers. The 24-year-old GM from Greece earned 21 rating points to debut in the top 100 Open. Another newcomer to the top 100 Open is Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara who emerged as the winner of Lince Andujar Chess Open 2025, gaining 14 rating points along the way. Amin Tabatabaei added another title to his collection, lifting the trophy at the XXII Karpov International Chess Tournament (+14 points), while Saleh Salem returned to the top 100 Open after one-year absence, following a strong performance in the Biel Chess Festival – Masters.